Convection in rotating magnetic nanofluids

Effect of rotation for convective instability in a thin layer of a magnetic nanofluid is examined within the frame work of linear theory. The model used incorporates the effect of Brownian diffusion, thermophoresis and magnetophoresis. The Eigen value problem is solved by employing the Chebyshev Pseudospectral method and the results are discussed for all the three boundary conditions: free–free, rigid-free and rigid–rigid for water and ester based magnetic nanofluids. The effect of magnetic field, rotation and modified particle density increment has been analyzed on the onset of convection. It is seen that magnetic mechanism predominates over the buoyancy mechanism in fluid layers about 1 mm thick. In the microgravity environment, the magnetic nanofluid is more resilient to convection and, in general, for all boundary conditions requires higher temperature gradient for the threshold of convection.